Mixing Religion and Politics to Produce Death, Destruction and Despair

(When extremists violate human rights in the name of nationalism in Europe it's called fascism; violations in the name of ethnicity in Africa are called tribalism; violations in the name of religion in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere sometimes are called fundamentalism. Since not all fundamentalists trample the human or intellectual rights of others, however, for want of a better word, we’ll call those who do alchemists. They mix religion, politics and fear to produce death, destruction and despair. The media document their achievements, and the reactions they evoke, daily, as in the excerpts below.)

Riding a Tide of Hindu Nationalism

"Riding a tide of Hindu nationalism, India's Hindu fundamentalist opposition party has decided to instigate months of nationwide strikes, demonstrations and political disruption in an effort to paralyze the Government and force elections. The decision, made in the last week by the Bharatiya Janata Party, comes in the wake of the destruction by Hindu militants early this month of a 16th century mosque and then a week of sectarian violence that left more than 1,200 dead across the country. The ferment has produced a swell of public support for the party's aggressive Hindu nationalism.

"The political crisis was set off on Dec. 6 by the demolition of an early Mogul Dynasty mosque in the northern city of Ayodhya. Hindu fundamentalists believe that the mosque was built as a symbol of conquest on the spot where the Hindu warrior god Ram was born 5,000 years ago. The destruction of the mosque unleashed violence across India from Bombay to Calcutta, much of it by Muslims venting their rage on buses and shops. In turn, the vast majority of the 1,200 people killed were Muslims shot by the police."

—Correspondent Edward A. Gargan, New York Times, Dec. 31, 1992

Hindus Against Hindus in Bombay

"About 25 of Bombay's influential were in the apartment. It was a New York or Los Angeles sort of group, but with less of the sharp edge. Most were Hindus. But they had come to talk about their fear that Hindu nationalists would ride their religion to government power. In January they had a taste of what that could mean. Hindu political gangs beat and killed Muslims, burnt down Muslim homes and businesses. From the beginning the gangs threatened Hindus who hid Muslims. To this day they demand blackmail and protection money from some of the people at the dinner. . . To the Hindu goon squads, they are as much an enemy as any Muslim leather tanner in the slums."

—Columnist A.M. Rosenthal, New York Times, March 5, 1993

Nosair vs. Kahane in New York

"Under the watchful eyes of the FBI and the New York Police Department, militant Jews and Muslims would face off each morning in front of the Manhattan criminal court building, chanting slogans and shouting death threats across the barricades. Then, as the doors would open for the 1991 murder trial of Egyptian-born El Sayyid A. Nosair, the rival groups jockeyed for seats in the courtroom, where they watched a county prosecutor try—and eventually fail—to prove that Nosair had assassinated activist Rabbi Meir Kahane during a speaking engagement.. .

"At the time of the Kahane trial, the FBI-New York Police Department's Joint Terrorism Task Force had Kahane supporters under a microscope as part of an investigation into the Jewish Defense League, the organization that Kahane founded. The FBI did not have a full-blown case open on Nosair's supporters because there was no apparent reason. But the FBI did routinely collect intelligence information on some of the Nosair demonstrators, and had other information gathered in connection with Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman, an Islamic fundamentalist cleric who preached at mosques in New Jersey and New York.

"The FBI's reservoir of intelligence about activists associated with the Nosair case or Rahman have now provided a framework for assessing early clues in the case and have also speeded tactical decisions about whom to pursue through the complicated world of Islamic fundamentalist factionalism. . . The investigation has progressed as a whirlwind of published reports surged far ahead of the evidence.

'We have really all got to keep a balanced perspective,' said Harry "Skip" Brandon, FBI deputy assistant director for intelligence. 'The fundamentalist movement is very real, but it is not a thing of violence per se."'

—Staff writers Jim McGee and Michael Isiloff, Washington Post, March 21, 1993

Creationism 101 in San Diego

"'You'll burn in hell,' shouted a man in the audience wearing a cap bearing the words, 'God loves you' . . . The forum was one of the first school board meetings in Vista, a San Diego suburb, after fundamentalist Christian candidates won a majority in the November election. . . In the board's first meeting last December, anxious residents demanded to know whether the new majority would require science teachers to teach not only the theory of evolution but also the alternative possibility that God created the world in seven days . . .

"The debate over creationism was a reminder of the extent to which many Americans remain unconvinced by elementary scientific principles, when they conflict with a literal reading of the Bible. Chris Forbes, the mother of three children in the district, appeared to express a widely held sentiment when she said, 'I just feel that if evolution is being taught in the schools, then you should also teach creationism so my children can decide what they want to believe.' More heatedly, another audience member demanded, 'If you love America, if you love our children, either we put creationism back in the classroom or take evolution out.'

"Scientists from nearby academic institutions who attended the evening meeting were fit to be tied.

"John Ljubenkov, a marine biologist who originally raised the issue last December, was heckled as he said: 'You let creationism—so-called science—into your classrooms and you've lost education. If you want our doctors not to know how we got here, I hope you all die of a God-awful disease. "'

—Staff Writer Seth Mydans, New York Times, Feb. 20, 1993

Waiting in Waco for a sign from God

"After weeks of waiting for a sign from God, cult leader David Koresh has begun sending his own signals that the three-week standoff with federal officials near here may end soon. . . At least two cult members died in the 45-minute gun battle, triggered when ATF attempted a raid on the group's compound to search for illegal weapons. . .While Koresh also says he is anticipating unspecified astrological events before surrendering and still relies heavily on the Bible in his talks with federal negotiators, [FBI spokesman Richard] Swensen said the discussions have taken a pleasantly practical turn. . .'He did not go into any detail,' Swensen said. 'We've got the moon coming up on the 23rd, the vernal equinox is today,' and Passover and Easter are nearing. 'I don't know what his thoughts are,' Swensen said."

—Correspondent Howard Schneider, Washington Post, March 21, 1993

Reigniting Riots in Calcutta

"The owner of a Calcutta apartment building and an associate were arrested today in connection with an explosion in the building that killed at least 47 people and injured 92. Paramilitary police reinforcements were brought into India's largest city after the explosion, which came just four days after a series of devastating bomb blasts in Bombay killed at least 250 people. Police patrols were stepped up in Calcutta to prevent religious strife. Police officials said there may have been plans to plant the explosives elsewhere in Calcutta to try to reignite the Hindu-Muslim riots that swept India in December and January, claiming nearly 2,000 lives."

—Reuter news item, Washington Post, March 18, 1993

Mixing Judaism and Zionism

"One leading contender, married with eight children, is accused of having tried to seduce several women. Another is said to have once offered bribes to an office seeker. A third is accused of trying to hire a detective to run a smear campaign against his rivals. Still another is reported to have bribed a psychiatrist to declare him mentally unfit for military service. . .

"No, Israelis say, they have never seen a race like this for the country's Chief Rabbis, one Askenazic and one Sephardic, who are to be chosen on Sunday for 10-year terms by a special board of rabbinical and lay electors. . .

"The Chief Rabbis' interpretation of Jewish law, assuming they agree with each other, is binding on the government when it comes to public policies with religious underpinnings...According to press reports here, Labor has struck a deal with Shas, the only religious party in the government. Under the agreement, Labor will back Shas candidates for the Rabbinate, and Shas is to support Ezer Weizman, Labor's choice for Israeli president in a parliamentary election scheduled for next month."

—Jerusalem correspondent Clyde Haberman, New York Times, Feb. 2O, 1993

Death of a Four-Year-Old in the West Bank

"Four-year-old Huda Siyaj was killed here last Saturday afternoon as she rode in the back seat of her father's car. A bullet fired by an Israeli soldier pierced the seat and tore into her back and then her stomach. . .That Saturday a curfew confining residents to their homes was imposed on Hebron, roadblocks were set up and troops were alerted to look for getaway cars. . . The driver was Issa Siyaj, 40, an unemployed carpenter and a former traffic police officer. He was taking his ailing mother to the hospital. Setting off on back roads to avoid checkpoints, he had brought along several of his 11 children. One of them was four-year-old Safa, called Huda by her family. Mr. Siyaj said later he had every reason to believe that soldiers he might encounter would be persuaded by the sight of small children to let him pass . . . Mr. Siyaj said he had first driven into an alley where a doctor lived, but then decided to back out and head for the city hospital. He said he did not see a roadblock and caught his first glimpse of soldiers in a side mirror as they were firing from about 100 yards away.. .

"Two days later, as the Siyaj family was receiving condolence calls, Yigal, an army captain whose men serve in Hebron, was turning his mind to more pressing matters...'We've served a lot in the territories, and the men have grown more hotheaded and impatient,' he said. 'Our problem as commanding officers is to teach soldiers to keep cool and to exercise a tremendous amount of judgement before pulling the trigger, but also to shoot to kill when necessary.. .'

"To Mr. Siyaj, the soldiers are heartless murderers. 'The girl was four years old,' he said. 'She had never picked up a stone or held a gun. Nobody had attacked the Jews. They just want to kill. They fired at a car full of children. They hate us."'

—Correspondent Joel Greenberg, New York Times, March 21, 1993

Death of a Four Year Old in England

"Suspected Irish Republican Army bombs blasted a packed shopping center in northwest England today, killing a four year old boy in the most serious such attack in nearly a year. Emergency services said more than 50 people had been wounded, 12 'very seriously,' when two bombs hidden in garbage cans exploded in quick succession in the heart of Warrington, a town on the Mersey River about halfway between Liverpool and Manchester. . .

"The center was packed with shoppers on a bright, sunny first day of spring. Many of them were buying presents for Mother's Day, which is celebrated in England on Sunday. . .

"'There were bodies Lying all over the place,' said Ron Riley, 49, a former soldier. 'One girl appeared to have lost both legs and her father had a big hole in his leg.' Other witnesses described scenes of mayhem. 'People shouted, "Get away, get away!" and they all ran up the street to get away and they ran straight into the second one,' Michael Bowden said. 'I think that's what caused the most damage."'

—Reuter report dated March 21, 1993, carried in New York Times

Death of a Two-Year-Old in Bosnia and Herzagovina

"This happens almost daily in Sarajevo. A Muslim family, a Serb bomb, and a bloodstained tragedy. Perhaps a baby is killed, or perhaps a housewife, or perhaps a baby and a housewife and a husband too. Almost every imaginable permutation of communal death has happened in Sarajevo over the past 10 months. . .

"Like the clock, time has stood still at the Setas' house. The two plates of muffins are on the table, layered now in a coat of dust from the dislodged plaster. Somebody's slippers are next to the couch, covered in that same bluish dirt. There's a foot-deep pile of rubble under the new hole in the ceiling, and today bright sunlight shone through it. Snow from the roof is melting and dripping onto the kitchen floor. Almedena's tiny parka, with string-connected gloves dangling from its sleeves, hangs in a corner.

"Outside, her white undershirts are still hanging on the laundry line. . . No one has taken them down. Perhaps the reality of her death hasn't sunk in. . .

"Before the shell landed, the Setas' living room was a picture of tranquility. According to Nazif Seta, the dead girl's grandfather, Almedena had been playing with her dolls and her mother was putting her to sleep before the adults gathered for their evening meal. . .

"The Seta family lives less than a hundred yards from Sarajevo's Hadzijska mosque, which may have been the target of the shell. At least two others hit the mosque. The Serbs' point, on the first day of Ramadan, may have been to tell the Muslims their religion is not welcome in Bosnia. Bombs landed near several other mosques at about the same time. It was 4:50 p.m."

—Washington Post, Feb. 25, 1993